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Several clinical staff at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine have recently received professional recognition.

Dr. Patrick McKenna, professor of surgery and chair of the urology division, was elected secretary-elect to the board of the north central section of the American Urological Association (AUA) at its annual meeting in Scottsdale in November. AUA is a premier professional association for the advancement of urologic patient care and works to ensure that its members are current on the latest research and practices in urology.

McKenna joined the SIU faculty in 2001. He received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from George Washington University (1978, 1982). He completed his urology residency at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va. (1987).

Five nurses have recently received oncology certification. Chris Carver, Sherri Polistina and Pam Shay have been certified as breast care nurses for the SIU Breast Center. April Cosner and Anita Priester have been certified as oncology nurses for SIU’s oncology/hematology cancer care team. All five are part of the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute in Springfield.

Both certifications come from the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. Certification signifies a nurse has met or exceeded requirements for practice in cancer care and validates that a nurse’s knowledge is up-to-date.